Lighting fixture



April 1965 M. M. THOMSEN ETAL 3,178,570

LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Nov. 20, 1962 ERNEST G. JOHNSON "III."

MAX M. THOMSEN INVENTORS ATTORNEY FIG.2

United States Patent 0.

3,178,570 LIGHTING FIXTURE Max M. Thomsen, Moundsville, W. Va., andErnest G. Johnson, St. Clairsville, Ohio, assignors to Sylvania ElectricProducts Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 20, 1962, Ser. No.238,859 6 Claims. (Cl. 240-147) This invention relates to themanufacture of lighting fixtures and more particularly to themanufacture of lighting fixtures for elongated, linear light sources,such as fluorescent lamps for example.

In the manufacture of lighting fixtures of this general nature, it hasbeen the practice to provide many types of these fixtures with variouslight-shielding means. In connection therewith, a number of differentdevices have been employed to secure the light-shielding means to thereflector of the fixture. Usually no great difficulty has beenencountered with these devices insofar as their ability to hold thelight-shielding means in position is concerned. However, it is alsoquite desirable that these devices have other characteristics. Forexample, they should be readily accessible and easy to manipulate,preferably without the use of working tools. Another important featurewhich they should include is means for supporting the lightshieldingmeans in an open position with respect to the reflector. Thislast-mentioned feature is of considerable importance because thereflector and the light-shielding means should be cleaned periodically.

In view of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide adevice of the type described which is simple in construction and easy tomanipulate.

Another object is to provide a device which requires no working tools,such as screwdrivers and the like, for its operation.

A further object is to provide a unitary device which includes hingingmeans for pivotally supporting the lightshielding means from thereflector as well as means for securing the light-shielding means to thereflector.

These and other objects, advantages and features are attained, inaccordance with the principles of this invention, by a hinge-latchdevice. The hinge portion of this device is fixedly mounted on thelight-shielding means itself or the frame which supports it. The latchportion is pivotally supported on the hinge portion and normallyoverlies and is in frictional engagement with an inwardly turned channelwhich characterizes each lower longitudinal portion of the reflectorwith which the hinge-latch device is associated.

In the accompanying drawing,

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of a lightingfixture with which the hinge-latch of this invention may be employed.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the hinge-latch andreflector assembly taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1.

The lighting fixture illustrated in FIGURE 1 comprises a chassis 2, aninverted trough-shaped reflector 4 attached thereto and dependingtherefrom, and a light shield 6 spanning the reflector 4. Lamps, notshown, are supported by and from the chassis 2 and are disposed abovethe light shield 6 and within the trough-shaped reflector 4. Forillustrative purposes, an egg crate or cellular type of light shield 6is shown in FIGURE 1, although any type of light shielding means may beemployed insofar as the practice of this invention is concerned. Thelight shield 6 includes a frame 8 or some suitable mounting surface towhich the hinge portion of the hinge-latch device of this invention maybe secured. A hinge-latch device 10, securing the light shield 6 to thereflector 4, is illustrated in FIGURE 1. Although only one of thesehinge-latch devices 10 is illustrated in FIGURE 1, each ICC lightingfixture is provided with four of them, two along each side and eachspaced from the ends of the fixture somewhat as shown in FIGURE 1.

The hinge-latch 10, illustrated in detail in FIGURE 2, comprises a hinge12 in the form of a wire bail and a latch 14 formed from a metal blank.The wire bail 12 is fixedly supported intermediate its ends in a hook 16fixedly mounted on the frame 8 of the light shield 6. The

latch 14 is pivotally supported on the wire bail 12 in a mannerdescribed more fully below.

The latch 14, formed from a metal blank, has a main body 18. The upperlongitudinal portion of the blank is curled to define an upper loop 20.The lower longitudinal portion of the blank is bent inwardly and thenback on itself to define a pocket 22 and finally is curled to define alower loop 24. The free ends of the hinge or bail 12 are inserted intothe ends of the lower loop 24 of the latch 14 to pivotally support thelatch from the hinge.

The lower longitudinal portions of the reflector 4 are shaped to defineinwardly facing channels 26. Each channel 26 comprises an outwardlyextending leg 28, a base 30 and an inwardly extending leg 32. The insideface of the base 30 of each channel 26 is provided with a nub 34 nearbut spaced from each end thereof. The lower loop 24 of each latch 14 isprovided with a centrally located aperture 36 within which the nub 34fits as shown in FIG- URE 2. As is also illustrated in FIGURE 2, theinwardly extending leg 32 of the channel 26 fits into the pocket 22 ofthe latch 14, the main body 18 of the latch 14 overlies the base 30 ofthe channel 26, and the upper loop 20 overlies and is in firm frictionalengagement with the outwardly extending leg 28 of the channel 26.

In operation, when it is desired to secure a light shield 6 to areflector 4, the light shield 6, with four hinge-latch devices 10secured to the frame 8 thereof, is placed in position across the openend of the inverted trough-shaped reflector 4 and the latches 14,pivotally supported on the bails or hinges 12, are swung upwardly intointerlocking engagement with the inwardly facing channels 26 of thereflector 4. As each latch 14 is so manipulated, the pocket 22 of thelatch envelops the leg 32 of the channel 26 and, as the latch is drawnfurther upwardly, the main body 18 of the latch is caused to overlie thebase 3d of the channel 26, the nub 34 of the base 30 interlocks in theaperture 36 in the lower loop 24 of the latch, and finally the upperloop 20 snaps over the leg 28 of the channel 26.

Disengagement of the latch 14 from the channel 26 is effected bycounter-clockwise rotation (as viewed in FIG. 2) of the latch 14 aboutthe hinge or bail 12 as a pivot, with the upper loop 20 of the latchserving as a handle for this manipulation. This disengagement may beeffected on one side only of the reflector in order to permit accessinto the reflector chamber, in which case the hinge-latch devices 10 onthe other side of the reflector will continue to support the lightshield 6 depending therefrom.

What we claim is:

1. In a lighting fixture, the combination of: a reflector, the lowerlongitudinal portion of which includes a substantially vertical leghaving a protuberance formed on the inside face thereof; a light shielddisposed across the open end of said reflector; a hinge fixedly securedto said light shield; and a latch pivotally supported on said hinge indetachably securing engagement with said reflector, said latch beingprovided with an aperture disposed in cooperative interlockingrelationship with respect to said protuberance.

2. In a lighting fixture, the combination of: a reflector, the lowerlongitudinal portion of which includes a substantially vertical leghaving a protuberance formed on the inside face thereof; a light shielddisposed across the open end of said reflector; a bail fixedly securedto said Patented Apr. 13, 1965 light shield; and a latch pivotallysupported on said bail in detachably securing engagement with saidreflector, said latch being provided with an aperture disposed incooperative interlocking relationship with respect to said protuberance.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said latch comprises a blankhaving a main body portion, an upper loop formed along the upperlongitudinal portion of said blank, and a lower loop formed along thelower longitudinal portion of said blank, said main body portionoverlying the substantially vertical leg of said reflector, said upperloop being in frictional engagement with said reflector, and said lowerloop being in frictional engagement with the inside face of saidvertical leg of said reflector and defining means for pivotallysupporting said latch from said hinge.

4. The combination of claim 2 in which said latch comprises a blankhaving a main body portion, an upper loop formed along the upperlongitudinal portion of said blank, and a lower loop formed along thelower longitudinal portion of said blank, said main body portionoverlying the substantially vertical leg of said reflector, said upperloop being in frictional engagement with said reflector, and said lowerloop being in frictional engagement With the inside face of saidvertical leg of said reflector and defining means for pivotallysupporting said latch from said hail, the aforesaid aperture being insaid lower loop of said latch.

5. In a lighting fixture, the combination of: a reflector; a lightshield disposed across the open end of said reflector; a hinge fixedlysecured to said light shield; and a latch pivotally supported on saidhinge and in detachably 4 securing engagement with said reflector, saidlatch COlTlprising a blank having a main body portion, an upper loopformed along the upper longitudinal portion of said blank, and a lowerloop formed along the lower longitudinal portion of said blank, saidupper loop being in frictional engagement with said reflector and saidlower loop defining means for pivotally supporting said latch from saidhinge.

6. In a lighting fixture, the combination of: a reflector; a lightshield disposed across the open end of said reector; a bail fixedlysecured to said light shield; and a latch pivotally supported on saidbail and in detachably securing engagement with said reflector, saidlatch comprising a blank having a main body portion, an upper loopformed along the upper longitudinal portion of said blank, and a lowerloop formed along the lower longitudinal portion of said blank, saidupper loop being in frictional engagement with said reflector and saidlower loop defining means for pivotally supporting said latch from saidbail.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,240,923 5/41Christie 29287 3,004,147 10/61 Lessner et al. 240l47 3,025,094 3/62Buchanan 240l47 X 3,092,336 6/63 Harling et a1 240l47 FOREIGN PATENTS1,248,308 10/ 60 France.

NORTON ANSI-IER, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A LIGHTING FIXTURE, THE COMBINATION OF: A REFLECTOR, THE LOWERLONGITUDINAL PORTION OF WHICH INCLUDES A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL LEGHAVING A PROTUBERANCE FORMED ON THE INSIDE FACE THEREOF; A LIGHT SHIELDDISPOSED ACROSS THE OPEN END OF SAID REFLECTOR; A HINGE FIXEDLY SECUREDTO SAID LIGHT SHIELD; AND A LATCH PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED ON SAID HINGE